FRISCO, TEXAS - Left-hander Jordan Montgomery officially started his MLB rehab assignment for the Texas Rangers with the Frisco RoughRiders at Riders Field, marking a massive milestone in his journey back to the Major Leagues. The 33-year-old veteran is working his way back from a second career Tommy John surgery, a procedure that sidelined him for the entire 2025 season after he tore his UCL last spring.
Facing off against the Seattle Mariners' Double-A affiliate, the Arkansas Travelers, Montgomery looked sharp, efficient, and in control in his brief appearance.
The southpaw tossed a scoreless inning of work, allowing just a single hit while striking out a batter swinging. He threw 13 total pitches, pounding the strike zone with 10 of them before handing the ball over to the bullpen.
Montgomery was originally acquired by Texas at the 2023 trade deadline from the St. Louis Cardinals in a five-player deal that sent left-handed reliever John King, pitching prospect Tekoah Roby, and infielder Thomas Saggese to St. Louis with the Rangers receiving Montgomery and Chris Stratton.
The trade paid off immediately. Montgomery became an instrumental piece of the Rangers' rotation, going 4-2 with a brilliant 2.79 ERA over 11 regular-season starts down the stretch. He saved his best work for October, going 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA across six postseason appearances (five starts) to anchor the staff and power the franchise to its first-ever World Series championship.
The Rangers didn't re-sign him and he agreed to a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The eight-year Major League veteran—who holds a 4.03 career ERA with 788 strikeouts across 872.0 big league innings spanning stints with the Yankees, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Rangers—signed a one-year contract to return to Texas in February.
He was placed on the 60-day injured list in March to continue his rehab program. Sunday’s one-inning stint is the first step in an early progression plan designed to slowly build his arm strength back up to a starter's workload. His next outing should also be an inning with the outing after that ramping up to two innings.
RoughRiders Secure the Win, Move 10 Games Over .500
Montgomery's scoreless opening frame set a dominant tone for the rest of the night, as the Frisco RoughRiders went on to defeat the Travelers by a final of 3-1. With the victory, Frisco continues its impressive run, ending the first half 10 games over .500 with a 39-29 record.
Following Montgomery's planned departure, left-hander Dylan MacLean took over out of the bullpen and turned in a masterful performance of his own. MacLean tossed 5.1 excellent innings, giving up just one run on the night to earn his fifth victory of the season, improving his record to 5-0.
On the offensive side of the ball, infielder Max Wagner provided the primary fireworks. Wagner put together a a nice night going 2-for-3 at the plate, highlighted by a home run and two RBIs to pace the RoughRiders.
To lock down the win, right-hander Joey Danielson took the mound in the ninth inning. Danielson slammed the door shut on Arkansas to earn his very first save at the Double-A level, putting the perfect exclamation point on a memorable night at Riders Field and sending all the dads in the crowd home happy. Happy Father's Day!
